xxvi, 368 pages : 22 cm

Presents facts about the effects of pesticides on the environment, health and genetics

"In 1962, when Silent Spring was first published, 'environment' was not even an entry in the vocabulary of public policy. In a few cities, especially Los Angeles, smog had become a cause of concern, albeit more because of its appearance than because of its threat to public health. Conservation--the precursor of environmentalism--had been mentioned during the 1960 Democratic and Republican conventions, but only in passing and almost entirely in the context of national parks and natural resources. And except for a few scattered entries in largely inaccessible scientific journals, there was virtually no public dialogue about the growing, invisible dangers of DDT and other pesticides and chemicals. Silent Spring came as a cry in the wilderness, a deeply felt, thoroughly researched, and brilliantly written argument that changed the course of history. Without this book, the environmental movement might have been long delayed or never have developed at all."--Introduction, p. xv

Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-355) and index

Text copyright 1962. Introduction copyright 1994

A fable for tomorrow -- The obligation to endure -- Elixirs of death -- Surface waters and underground seas -- Realms of the soil -- Earth's green mantle -- Needless havoc -- And no birds sing -- Rivers of death -- Indiscriminately from the skies -- Beyond the dreams of the Borgias -- The human price -- Through a narrow window -- One in every four -- Nature fights back -- The rumblings of an avalanche -- The other road

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